Hockey's Hottest Star
by anjel919
Summary: An article written about Dylan Michlachuk, hockey's hottest star, by the person that knows him best. contains mild slash....of course. read and review please!
1. Default Chapter

A/N: Sadly, I do not own Degrassi, it's characters or the Mighty Ducks, etc...you know where I am going with this. I wrote this because it was something I would read in a magazine if it were ever done. Please criticism is always welcome...flames will be used for a pyrotechnic display for the positive reviewers. I will still make anything Italian for those good reviewers with either good things to say or constructive criticism. Review it will make you feel happy.

Kaitlinbell: thank you so much for the confidence to post something. You are a terrific person and extremely talented. You are priceless in my book. You know I love you! I will write that kitchen scene just for you in the next fic. Thank you for the awesome review for my first shot at this.

Vixen-Dragon16: Thank you so much for your first review of my poetry. I am happy that you like it.

AquilaRemy: Thank you too for such a lovely review. I so appreciate any feedback on anything I write.

The Romance behind Hockey's Biggest Star

I am Marco Del Rossi-Micklachuk and an author. I am also a journalist with several big newspapers. Some of you know me; many of you have read my stories and most have read my columns but did not know who I was. That is okay though. You read my stuff, you keep reading it, and so I must be doing a good job. I was asked to write a feature article on the pride and joy of Anaheim's Mighty Ducks. The reason they petitioned me to write this is because I know him better than anyone else in the world. He is my husband, lover and best friend, Dylan Micklachuk. I know you have heard that name before and are wondering what this piece is going to be about. Let me tell you, this is the story of how we met and fell in love. Being gay, we were not readily accepted in high school but over came all the odds and are still going strong today. We have been married for almost two years now and could not be happier. Now that I have introduced myself and the story, let's get on with it.

It was the summer after my Grade 9 year when I met a handsome, funny soon-to-be Grade 12 at the beach with some friends. That is partially a lie; we did not meet at the beach. We met at my friend's house, seeing as he, my friend was dating Dylan's sister, Paige. I took one look into his big blue eyes and fell hard for him. My friends did not even know that I was gay at the time. I was not comfortable telling them, mainly in fear that they would not accept me anymore. After I met Dylan, I could not stay in the closet any longer. I knew I had to have my chance at this wonderful guy. When I did come out to my friends, Paige's first order of business was to try and get Dylan and me together. I appreciated her efforts but was not sure if Dylan felt the same way. I was bashed in the park one night for being gay, which kind of pushed me back into the closet for about a month. Dylan tried to help me but I kept pushing him away. I was stupid, I can see that now. Paige's boyfriend and my good friend, Spinner, finally interfered even though he was a jerk when I came out. I guess he figured he owed it to me. He got Dylan to ask me out since I was too scared to ask him out. I mean, how could I not be scared. He was the star of the hockey team and gorgeous and I was this little nobody who hung out with his sister. Talk about being lame. Anyway, Dylan asked me to a movie and I said yes, of course. The date started out bad, got better, and then turned to the eighth layer of hell. I was surprised and thrilled when he decided to give me a second chance. Our second date went a lot better and just kept getting better after that.

One reason Dylan said he fell for me was because of my personality. I am not sure how much of that is true but I will give him the benefit of the doubt. I was very hard on myself when we first met. I am a perfectionist by nature and whenever Dylan was around, everything went wrong. I would get nervous and flustered, so nothing I said would come out right. Then I would get angry at myself, which would start a barrage of self-esteem issues. Yeah, it was not pretty. Dylan managed to see through all of that and get me to relax. I finally got comfortable with him and things started going smoother.

He also claims to love me for my sense of humor and my good heart. I was not aware of having a sense of humor but if he says so, okay. I do know that I have a good heart though. I have always tried to help everyone around me. I hate to see people sad. I got permission to use this from Paige and my friend Katelynn. I helped them both deal with being raped. Katelynn, I helped from the very beginning and Paige I helped later. I had already helped Katelynn by the time I met Paige, so I knew with what she was dealing. I wanted to help her, not only because she is Dylan's sister but she is my friend. She had pushed away all her feelings about what had happened and could not figure out why she was still having nightmares. I helped her deal with the nightmares and the rape; it is the only way to get past something like that. She spent more nights in my bed that first year Dylan and I were dating than Dylan did. He understood and tried to help his sister as well. He loves Paige, even though she is a brat (his words, not mine). She passed the dealing phase of recovery and moved on to healing. I was happy to help and was rewarded greatly for being there with her. The night she finally stopped sleeping in my bed, was the night Dylan first said "I Love You". It is a night I will never forget.

We had been dating for a little over a year and he was a freshman in college. I was at his apartment, waiting for him to get home from hockey practice, watching television. He came in with a big grin and a bouquet of sterling roses. He knows they are my favorites but are so expensive that I don't get them too often. I was stunned that he would do something like this; it was not our anniversary or anything big. He handed them to me and kissed me lightly before going to take a shower. He had not said a word to me, not even hello. I remember sitting there on his couch looking from the roses to the bathroom door, confused. I was staring at the door when he crossed the hall to his bedroom from the bathroom; he looked over at me and just grinned. He was so infuriating. I have since forgiven him of his complete lack of regard for my sanity. I was going insane trying to figure out what he was up to and I could not do it. By now, I had gotten pretty good at reading Dylan and knowing what he was up to before he told me but this left me clueless. He emerged from the bedroom dressed to go to dinner, which we had already planned on. He stood in front of me and held out his hand waiting for me to take it. He still had not said a word. Judging from the gleam in his eyes and his grin, I decided to just go with it. I was still irritated but it was easier than trying to get him to spill whatever he had planned. My confusion grew when we pulled up in front of his parents' house but still did not question. He let me in the house and my confusion vanished. He set up a romantic dinner with candles, music and all of my favorite foods. I found out later that he skipped the end of practice to set this up for me with some help from Paige. I was floored, that is the only way to describe it. Finally he spoke, "This is your surprise. Well, part of it anyway." He sat me down at the table and sat down next to me. I can still remember the way he looked in the candlelight, all soft and glowing. That mischievous grin playing at his lips, almost taunting me. We ate dinner and had dessert. He took me over to his parents' couch and sat me down. He sat in front of me on the coffee table and just looked at me for a few minutes before speaking. I was starting to get nervous under his watchful gaze. "Marco, I need to talk to you about something. I do not want you to interrupt me until I am finished. Okay?" Dylan asked me. I had a sinking feeling in my stomach and was afraid to talk so I just nodded. Yes, even after all that he had done for me I was expecting something bad. "I have been with you for over a year now. I have watched you grow up and change before my very eyes. It is not something I would trade in for the world. I watched you help Paige for the last ten months without one complaint. She wrecked some of our dates and some of the very little alone time we had together. You just took it all in stride and did whatever she needed to get through it. I admire that in you. I don't know if I would have been so understanding if she was not my sister and I saw her after what she went through. I am not sure if that made sense but it did to me. I feel there is one thing that is missing in our relationship though. I am hoping to remedy that tonight. I want you to know that I love you. I have loved you for a while now but I think I was too blind to see it. I want you to accept this promise ring as a sign of how much I love you." Dylan stopped speaking and looked at me, waiting for me to answer. I was shocked, not with the fact that he loved me; I guess I already knew that but the fact that he was thanking me for helping Paige. "I love you too Dylan. I have since the day at the beach. It has just grown into a stronger love since I have been with you. There is no need to thank me for helping Paige or explain why I did it. I did it because she is my friend and she is important to you. I would do it again in a heartbeat. Of course I will accept your promise ring but I do have one question. What exactly is this ring promising?" I said. He actually looked relieved that I said yes. "It promises that when you get out of high school, we will get engaged and then when you graduate college we will get married." Dylan explained. "Okay. I agree to all of that." I said laughing. I was nervous, I am not sure why but I was shaking. Dylan opened the jewelry box that he was holding in his hand and I got my first look at the ring that I still proudly wear. It is white gold with two hearts etched intertwined together. He pulled it out of the box and handed it over to me. "There is an inscription that I would like you to read before I put it on your hand." He leaned over and turned on the lamp I was sitting beside. It read "L'amerò per sempre" and I was shocked. It translates to I will love you forever for those of you who don't know Italian. I started to cry, it was just so sweet of him to go to that much trouble for me. I knew he must have called my mom to get that phrase correct. That is the kind of boyfriend Dylan had always been though; kind, thoughtful and romantic.

Our relationship just continued to grow stronger with each year. It was in no way perfect, we had our share of fights. I remember one particularly well and will tell you about it because it shows just who Dylan can be. It was a month before my graduation from high school and Dylan had just gotten his summer practice schedule for the hockey team. He said he had practice at the same time I was graduating and could not make my graduation. I was devastated. It was not only my graduation but his sister's as well. I could not believe he was going to miss it because of a practice. Graduation day was drawing closer and I was getting testier because he was going to miss it. I was at his graduation in spite of the fact I was missing a final in science. I was picking random fights with him over nothing just to make him mad. I wanted him to feel as bad as I did at that moment. The fight that set us off and did not speak again until graduation day started like this. "If you could not handle everything that comes with having a younger boyfriend, maybe we should have never started dating." I said angrily. "I have never had a problem with you being younger. I cannot make your graduation, I am sorry. I am missing Paige graduate too. I have to be at this practice though." Dylan tried to calm me down. "You have missed out on practice for lesser reasons. You just don't want to come and risk an embarrassment. I know you don't introduce me to all your friends because you do not want them to know I am still in high school." I was on a roll by now. "Marco, you have met all of the people I consider friends. What is your problem?" Dylan was starting to get angry by now as well. "You are my problem. I don't think you know how much this means to me. I wanted you there to share it with me. Instead, you are going to be on the ice. I am too tired to fight about this anymore, I am out of here." I walked towards the front door and slammed it shut behind me. Dylan tried to call the next three days but I refused to answer the phone. He emailed me at least ten times a day too, I read them but never responded. Paige tried to get me to talk to him but I just ignored her. I just wanted to be mad. I knew I still loved him and that would never change but I was hurt, I did not want to forgive him that easily. Graduation day arrived and it had been three and a half days since I had walked out of Dylan's apartment. I was still hurt but a little less mad so I picked up the phone and dialed his number. The answering machine picked up, that meant he was either avoiding me or already at practice. I did not leave a message because I had no idea what to say. So, I got up and got ready for graduation. I was walking with Ellie but was right in front of Paige and Spinner. Paige was still mad at Dylan because he was missing her graduation too. We got out onto the floor and I heard Paige gasp behind me. "Look in the stands. Over by where my parents are sitting." She was whispering in my ear. I looked over and there was Dylan. I just smiled and felt better. I started to feel bad about what I had said the last time we spoke but maybe that is what made him come. Paige was whispering in my ear during the entire graduation about the fact that he had come just for me. I must have really made an impression for him to blow off practice. I got my diploma and looked back into the stands at Dylan; he was holding a sign this time. It read 'I love you! Marry Me?' My heart stopped beating for a minute and I just gave him a slight nod before sitting back down in my seat. Ellie and Paige each grabbed an arm and hugged me. I was stunned but my heart felt lighter, knowing he had forgiven me for being a jerk. That is how we got engaged, kind of sweet and a little corny. I don't think this is a proposal that will soon be forgotten.

Now you know how we met, when he told me he loved me and how we got engaged. I guess the only thing that is left is our wedding. I had a year long promise ring phase and then a three year engagement. I promised my parents I would not get married until I had my first degree, so I worked really hard to fit four years into two and a half then plan a wedding. It worked out beautifully. Being the shorter and more feminine of the two of us, I took the role of the bride. I had bridesmaids and luncheons and all that kind of thing. My bridesmaids were Paige, Ellie, and Ashley. The looked gorgeous in the gowns that we picked out. I however, got to wear a tuxedo instead of a dress. I may be gay but I am not a cross dresser, no offense to those who are, it is just not my style. Dylan looked wonderful in his tuxedo. His groomsmen were Spinner, his dad and Scott, a friend from school and fellow hockey player. It was an evening ceremony on the beach at Santa Monica. It was breathtaking with the sun setting behind us. I am glad that the government got off their moral high horse and made same sex marriages legal in all fifty states and in Canada. We had a wonderful reception with all our family and friends. His hockey player friends were all there with their wives or girlfriends. Paige announced she was pregnant at the reception, thankfully she and Spinner had gotten married a month before conception. Spinner will live to tell his children about his stupid stunts. I was a little worried at first. We left the next day on a perfect two week honeymoon in Hawaii. We are going to Italy this year to celebrate our five year anniversary.

I just wanted the American and Canadian people who have been following Dylan's career since high school to know who he is as a person, not just a hockey star. He is the best person I have ever had the pleasure of meeting. I love him with all my heart, so I may be just a little biased. Thank you for taking the time to read about a side of Dylan Micklachuk that very few people get to see. I am glad I got the opportunity to show it to you. I hope to see you at the Stanley Cup this year next month. For those of you who don't follow hockey but are reading this, we play the North Carolina Hurricanes. Once again, I am Marco Del Rossi-Micklachuk, husband of Dylan Micklachuk, forward for Anaheim Mighty Ducks.


	2. Hockey's Hottest Star Part 2

A/N: I don't own Degrassi, the characters, the Mighty Ducks...etc... I received some reviews on the first chapter to try and continue this...so I tried. I hope it lives up to the first chapter. Thank you to everyone who has reviewed my stories so far. It is greatly appreciated.

Hockey's Hottest Star Part 2

I have been asked to write a follow-up article to the one I wrote earlier in the hockey season. I was informed by the magazine that I received the most fan mail for a non-staff member that they had ever seen. Thank you, loyal hockey fans and avid readers. I am in your debt, but I hope to repay it now by tantalizing you with another Dylan Michalchuk story. I am sitting here, just to be honest with you, not knowing what this is going to be about yet. The editors want to see something similar to what I first wrote. They suggested telling about my honeymoon, no that is not a subject for all audiences. I already touched on our first date, my promise ring, the proposal, the wedding, and now we are married. I can't have children, so I can't tell you about the day I told him I was pregnant.

I know everyone knows by now that the Mighty Ducks won the Stanley Cup and my darling husband was named MVP. This is a great honor to be even considered according to Dylan but I know he was elated to hear his name announced. This is his second MVP title since going professional. We are considering ourselves extremely lucky for the recognition and the accolades. I just wanted a chance to brag about his accomplishments over the last few months but I digress from the purpose of this article, still not sure what it is though.

I think I will tell you about another side of Dylan that only family and close friends get to see. This is his uncle side. He loves his niece and nephew with everything he has in his heart. I know I told you Paige announced her pregnancy at our reception, so now I will tell you about Dylan's side of the pregnancy, birth and raising of the little terrors. Dylan was fascinated by the fact his little sister was pregnant. He went to a couple of doctors appointments with her to see the ultrasound and hear the heartbeats. He called her several times a day to make sure she was eating and the babies were all right. At one point, Paige called me and begged me to take Dylan's cell phone away from him because he was getting to be annoying. He meant well and already loved those little ones so much. He would talk to me about them every night with such a glow in his eyes, it almost made me wish he was straight so he could enjoy this first hand with his wife. I said almost...I am extremely happy that he is gay. Eight and a half months went by and we got the phone call at four in the morning that Paige was going into labor. Dylan wanted to be there for the joyous event, so he jumped out of bed and started to run for the door. Luckily for us and our neighbors, he remembered he was inappropriately attired to leave the house and came back and got dressed. We headed for the hospital and met a pacing Spinner. Since it was a normal birth with no complications, Paige was allowed to have as many people in here delivery room as she wanted in there. She chose to let Dylan and me stay with her and Spinner. This made Dylan even more excited. This made me a little queasy; there are some things you should never have to see in regards to your sister-in-law. I would have left but Dylan had a death grip on my arm and I could not get away. So I grinned and bared the situation. I am happy that I was apart of it now because they are the cutest kids on earth. Once again, I may be just a slight bit biased. Dylan got to hold his nephew first and immediately fell in love. Then came his niece and he fell even harder for her. Paige and Spinner had already picked out names for them; Cristopher Nolan and Caitlyn Rose.

Dylan was at Paige's house every chance he got to see the twins. He volunteered us for overnight visits, so Mommy and Daddy could get some sleep. It wasn't so bad once they stopped waking up every two hours. He showered them with gifts every time we walked through their front door. It may not sound like a big deal to you, but we only live twenty minutes away from them. We see them at least five times a week. See my point, Dylan was nuts over the kids. He still is crazy for them. I can't really blame him though, they are pretty great kids. We have watched them grow into their own little personalities. Caitlyn is loud and bossy, just like her mom. She had Dylan wrapped around her little finger so tight she has to be losing circulation. Cris is a little shy but very protective of Caitlyn. He is a wiz on the ice, just like his uncle. They both look just like Paige, but got Spinner's curly hair. Dylan started taking them skating with him as soon as they could walk. Before that, he had them on the ice in a stroller. It was very cute to see; this big hockey player going to mush over these two tiny infants. For the second birthday, Dylan rented them an entire circus to have a party. He went all out for them; clowns, animals, and everything. He missed their third birthday because he was on the road, doing promotions for the hockey team he was with at the time. He made it up to them as soon as he got home. We went on a shopping spree buying everything they wanted and did not get. He was spoiling them rotten but did not seem to mind one bit. Paige joked about needing a bigger house because of all their toys and stuff that Dylan had purchased. We have since, set up identical rooms in our house for when they stay with us, which is about once a month.

Caitlyn and Cris are now five years old and just started Kindergarten. It was a very traumatic day for Dylan and Paige. I still have not figured out who was crying harder. Dylan and I got up very early to go to Paige's. He wanted to make sure not to miss a moment of them getting ready for school. We got there about an hour before the kids even had to be awake. I offered to make breakfast for everyone while they worked on getting the twins dressed and outfitted for their first day. The kids ate heartily while the parents and Dylan sipped coffee and picked at the bacon, eggs and pancakes I fixed. Paige made sure lunches were packed, pencils and paper were in their bags, and that they were indeed dressed properly. Dylan fussed over Cris' shoes because they kept coming untied. It could have been because Uncle Dylan was tearing up and could not see what he was doing. Spinner leaned against the counter with me and watched our spouses. It just seemed safer to be out of the mêlée. It was finally time to take them to school. I am sure the kids were as relieved as I by this bit of information. I could see the look in Cris' eyes saying 'Please Uncle Marco, make them stop!' I kind of felt sorry for him. We got to the elementary school and walked them to their classroom. At least they got the same teacher; it probably did not seem fair to split them up. Caitlyn was relishing all the attention she was receiving and poor Cris was trying to hide behind whoever would stand still, mainly me. Dylan started to cry as we neared their classroom, which got Paige started about her babies growing up. Spinner started to tear up but made manly noises about allergies. I felt rather alone in this group by not losing it over their first day of school. The only good thing was the twins did not seem to mind to be left at school; in fact, they were kind of relieved to see us leave. After school that day, Dylan got the most interesting compliment from his niece. Caitlyn ran up to us as soon as she got in the front door. "Uncle Dylan, Cris and I are the only ones with two uncles married to one another." Caitlyn said rapidly. I looked at Dylan who looked a little shell shocked. I started to laugh and had to ask if it was a good thing or a bad thing. She said it was a good thing because it made her and Cris stand out and now were popular. I had a feeling Paige was going to be getting a lot of phone calls later about her gay brother being married to another guy, or whatever forms the story happened to take while traveling through five year olds. Dylan looked relieved that it was a good thing and his Caitlyn did not hate him.

Paige did get quite a few phone calls over the next few days about the twins uncles. They thought the kids were getting the story wrong somehow and wanted it to be cleared up. Paige told them her brother was gay and happily married to another man. It was not a lie and she wanted her kids' friends to know just what they were dealing with when befriending her children. Paige is still outspoken. Dylan was happy that he was not going to have to sit out of their lives because of some close minded people. The parents really did not seem to mind when they found out who Paige's brother is and who he married. I guess fame and fortune can get you everywhere in this society. It is really sad when you have to name drop just to make sure your kids do not have a problem in Kindergarten. I digress once again and am sorry but I felt the need to express that.

So, as you can see, dear readers, Dylan Michalchuk is enamored of his niece and nephew. They are his world off the ice, not including me of course. We look forward to many more years of spoiling the little terrors rotten. Caitlyn will always be Dylan's princess and Cris will forever hold hockey champ and sports buddy in his heart. I am going to make a public request of Dylan today. He has no idea I am about to ask this, so wish me luck.

Dylan, would you like to adopt a child? I know Cris and Caitlyn are great but would you like one of our own? Don't be mad at the public asking but I figure it finally gets you back for the graduation incident and the public proposal. I Love You!

Marco Del Rossi-Michalchuk


	3. The New Addition

A/N: I don't own Degrassi, its characters...etc...

Thank you for reviewing my first two chapters of this story. I know I have updated a lot and added a new story today but I had to. I don't know exactly when I will be online again after this weekend. Hurricane Frances is still a minor threat to the north Florida area.

The New Addition

Well, it has been two years since I last wrote an article. I know you have been wondering about the outcome of my final question. The magazine has received a ton of fan mail about it ever since. I thank you for taking such a great interest in our lives. Enough pleasantries, let's get to the real article.

For those of you who are lost, let me catch you up. I am Marco Del Rossi-Michalchuk and am a journalist. My husband is Dylan Michalchuk, star forward on the Mighty Ducks. I asked him if he would like to adopt a child in an article. This is where I left off.

Dylan read the article and looked shocked. He was actually speechless for over half an hour. He just sat in his chair and reread the article, kind of like he could not believe what he had read, like he imagined it. When his speech seemed to return, he asked if I was serious. I looked at him like he was nuts. This is not something you ask lightly, especially in print in a worldwide magazine. I told him it was not a joke and I would love to be a parent with him. He said he would love to adopt a child with me. I was ecstatic, that is an understatement but it is the only word I can think of right now. We went to a reputable adoption agency to see about adopting. They were extremely rude to us, seems they don't like the idea of servicing a gay couple. We were a little disappointed and disillusioned when we arrived home. How could anyone turn away a loving, stable couple with more money than we need when there are so many children waiting to be adopted? We sat in tense silence for about an hour and then I got up to search the internet for alternate options for adoption. We found that with a lawyer we could forgo the adoption agency. We could go straight to the orphanages and the Department of Children and Family to see about adoption. We set out to find the best adoption lawyer in California. We also looked for one in Canada but it did not seem feasible at the time. California was a little more open to gay couples and adoption than Canada. We went to an orphanage near Anaheim and spoke to the director. He led us around the place to see what we were to be dealing with and showed us the kids that were ready to be adopted. I know it sounds like we were at a pet store looking at puppies or something but it was a little more diplomatic. There weren't any cages. That was a joke okay. No anti humane letters please. Dylan and I realized that we had not even thought about if we wanted an infant or an older child, or even a boy or girl. As we spoke to the director, he explained a few things to us that we would have never even thought to consider. He said that boys were less likely to be adopted and the older the children got the percentage of adoption dropped drastically. Dylan and I went home that night to discuss everything that had transpired. We decided that we wanted a boy and maybe we could adopt someone a little older. We had already had our share of infants with the twins and an older cousin for them could be interesting.

We went to the lawyer's office to get some paperwork in order before returning to the orphanage. There is a huge amount of background checks and filing and general papers that need to be filled out to even get the okay that we can adopt. I suppose that is good because I wouldn't want a criminal trying to adopt a helpless child. So we got our background checks cleared and our financial records back and approved. We were finally on our way to actually adopting a child. We went back to the orphanage and spoke once again to the director. He seemed genuinely surprised that we were looking to adopt a boy between the ages of seven and twelve. We wanted him older than Cris and Caitlyn but not so old that he would not relate to them. We wanted one big, happy family. I know it sounds corny, but it was a dream come true. The director had a boy in mind after we told him what we were interested in adopting. Once again, sorry about the pet shop feel to this but this is the way it went. He brought this boy up to meet us. He was ten and absolutely cute. He has short brown hair, bright blue eyes and a hockey player's build. I fell in love instantly, in a fatherly way, just so you don't get any weird ideas. Dylan was enamored of him as well, I could tell. His name is Andrew. He seemed to be okay with the fact that we are gay. He agreed to the adoption as long as we were serious. We told him we were extremely serious and wanted him to be our son. It took about a month to get all the paperwork done and the adoption to finalize. In that time, we got to spend some time with Andrew in various settings. He went to one of Dylan's hockey games and one of my book signings. We showed him as much of our lives as we could before it was final and he could not back out. We wanted him to be comfortable with us and us with him. He is a great kid and took this all in stride. We finally got to bring him home. It was a very happy day for everyone.

This was the first time Andrew had a room to himself. He was allowed to pick out the paint, furniture, and decorations that he wanted to go in there. To Dylan's amazement, he chose hockey. I was not that surprised after seeing him at the game a few weeks ago. He was so excited to be adopted by a real hockey star, he said it was a dream come true for him. The whole family came over for dinner that night to welcome our new addition into the family. He seemed a little skittish since we are one loud bunch but he soon warmed up to everyone. He took a rather natural big brother role to the twins. We figured he was one of the oldest at the orphanage and probably looked after the younger kids anyway. He fit in with the family well and seemed to open up a little at a time to them and us. He was going to be okay.

That was two years ago, and Andrew is a precocious twelve-year-old now. He is getting interested in girls and less intimidated by the older boys. He has been playing hockey on the junior league team and was just promoted to captain for next year. He beat out a few boys who were older, but he had better skills on the ice. It helps that he practices with his dad almost every night. Some of the people at school have given him a hard time about having two dads but quickly shut up once they found out his dads are famous. He still does not have a problem with having gay parents; in fact he seems proud of it. He loves to bring his friends over and show us off. It could be that we are famous and hockey is still Canada's national sport, or it could be that we are laid back parents. His girlfriend, yes he has a girlfriend now, thinks it is neat that we are gay. She said she never met anyone before us that were gay. I give her fashion advice too. Dylan is beside himself that his little boy has a girlfriend. He tried to sit him down and give him the birds and bees talk. Tried being the operative word, it did not go well at all. Andrew was laughing so hard at Dylan that I could not help but rescue the conversation. Andrew is a smart, well-adjusted kid. We could not have asked for a better son. Dylan is over-protective; I am a little to relaxed to make up for Dylan. We seem to balance each other out nicely.

I know we are doing a good job raising Andrew. All of his teachers love him and tell us how wonderful he is to have in class. His friends are great too. Most parents and adults love Andrew. He does not do drugs, doesn't drink, is on the honor roll, and cleans up after himself. He is doing great and we are lucky to have him. Dylan still gets a little wacky when he notices that Andrew is growing into a young man. He is still getting a little crazy about Cris and Caitlyn too. I am working on him though. He will mellow out in time for playoffs, I promise. Another championship season ahead for the Mighty Ducks.

I hope you enjoyed another look into the life of Dylan Michalchuk. He is now a wonderful friend, great older brother, excellent father and most of all my husband and best friend. He is an awesome hockey player but all of you know that. Dylan is the greatest. I just thought you all should know that yet again.

With enough fan mail, I may write again in a few years about what happens next.

Marco Del Rossi-Michalchuk

A/N: Please review. You know you want to, I am still in the habit of giving out Italian food....


	4. The Retirement

Disclaimer: I don't own…blah blah blah  
  
A/N: Thanks for the reviews to this. I hope you don't mind but this is the end. I might do a sequel featuring Andrew if it generates enough interest.  
  
Hockey's Hottest Star  
  
Chapter Four- The Retirement  
  
I have been commissioned to write the final article in this series once again because of the closeness to the subject.  
  
My husband, Dylan Michalchuk is retiring from hockey this week. It is his last game this Saturday. It's the end of an era for him…and me, in a way.  
  
I know the first question on your mind is why he's retiring. He's getting older and wants to be able to remember his family. He knows another serious injury could take years to recuperate from this time instead of weeks or a few months. He prefers health to whatever it is he's giving up.  
  
I'm going to reminisce here for a minute, please indulge me. I remember the first time I saw Dylan on the ice. We weren't even friends but his sister dragged me to a game. He moved with such elegance, grace and fluidity that I was in awe. He belonged on the ice, still does but not all the time. He won that game for Degrassi in the last twenty seconds of the game. It was amazing.  
  
I also remember the first time he took our son out on the ice. Andrew already knew how to skate and played hockey but watching them interact on the ice was priceless. Andrew skated circles around Dylan, with speed and agility that impressed us both. Dylan couldn't be out done and started in on some tricks he managed to perfect over the years.  
  
After their little test of skills on the ice, the two men in my life collapsed onto the ice with laughter. It was fun to watch from the bench. I still can't skate for the life of me but I love to watch.  
  
I digress from his retirement, thank you for indulging a loving husband with his memories.  
  
Dylan made the announcement that this was to be his last season at the beginning of the season. There was a general concern floating around about why he was leaving. We've heard rumors that he's dying, that he's ill, and that he's just tired of playing.  
  
Let's squelch these rumors right now. He's not dying, at least not any time soon, no illness has surfaced, in fact he's healthy as a horse. And as far as tired of playing, that's ridiculous. He loves this game more than anything, except his family.  
  
He's leaving the game because it's the right decision; for him, for me and for our son. He wants more time at home and less on the road. He doesn't want to miss Andrew's graduation from college or our anniversary. We've been apart far too often on important days. His priorities have changed more to the family oriented side now.  
  
I hope none of you resent him for leaving earlier than most players. He'll continue to do some form of sports oriented profession but we aren't sure what that is yet. I know he'd like to thank all of his fans and supporters over the years. You make this job worth it and he'd never change a minute of it.  
  
Thank you for taking the time out of your very busy day to read the last article of this series. Who knows, I may be back writing about our son before you know it. He's taking the same path as his father and we couldn't be more proud of him.  
  
Thank you for supporting my husband all these years. I appreciate it, Dylan appreciates it more and you'll never know exactly how much. So please, trust me when I say that every single fan is appreciated and loved. There isn't much of a sport without you.  
  
This is Marco Del Rossi-Michalchuk signing off of this wonderful subject, my husband. 


End file.
